At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative AI strategies and create impactful solutions for enterprise clients.
- Company: Join UST, a mission-driven tech company transforming lives through technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to integrity and community impact.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI while making a real difference in the world.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in innovation and AI, with strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 81000 - 99000 £ per year.
Born digital, UST transforms lives through the power of technology. We walk alongside our clients and partners, embedding innovation and agility into everything they do. We help them create transformative experiences and human-centered solutions for a better world. UST is a mission-driven group of over 30,000+ practical problem solvers and creative thinkers in over 30+ countries. Our entrepreneurial teams are empowered to innovate, act nimbly, and create a lasting and sustainable impact for our clients, their customers, and the communities in which we live. With us, you’ll create a boundless impact that transforms your career—and the lives of people across the world.
UST is seeking a Director of Innovation to define and lead the engineering strategy for our enterprise innovation and AI across both services and platforms, creating and enabling scalable, secure, and commercially viable enterprise grade offerings and AI adoption across client engagements. This is a hands-on, strategic leadership role at the intersection of engineering, innovation, and AI, with accountability for translating emerging AI capabilities into enterprise-grade, reusable services and solutions. You will drive the evolution of our AI services from innovation-led initiatives into mature, production-ready offerings that deliver measurable client value. While operating at a senior level, this role remains intellectually hands-on, requiring deep technical engagement in architectural decision‑making, design validation, and engineering execution where required.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and execute the end-to-end engineering vision and roadmap for UST’s AI services and platforms, aligned to enterprise, client, and market needs.
- Establish architecture principles, engineering standards, and governance frameworks to ensure scalability, security, and sustainability.
- Act as a senior technical authority, influencing direction and long-term investment decisions.
- Lead the transition of AI capabilities from experimentation and PoC into scalable, enterprise‑grade products.
- Drive the creation of reusable, modular, API‑first components supporting multi‑client adoption.
- Embed engineering thinking, ensuring the services/products are client‑ready, configurable, and commercially scalable.
Scalable, Secure & Cloud‑Native Architecture:
- Ensure the services are engineered for multi‑tenant environments, high availability, resilience, and performance at scale.
- Champion cloud‑native, secure‑by‑design, and observable architectures across Azure, AWS, or GCP.
- Oversee AI service/platform maturity, including release management, versioning, and lifecycle governance.
Engineering Excellence & Delivery Leadership:
- Embed best‑in‑class engineering practices, including design patterns, code quality standards, and DevOps maturity.
- Provide leadership across AI/ML, GenAI, engineering, and full‑stack development, ensuring robust and consistent delivery.
- Remain hands‑on where required, reviewing architecture, validating designs, and unblocking complex engineering challenges.
Client Engagement & Solution Leadership:
- Partner with Sales, Solutions, and Delivery teams to position the AI platform in strategic client engagements.
- Lead or contribute to executive‑level solution discussions, technical workshops, and architecture reviews.
- Ensure that all capabilities directly translate into business outcomes and client value realisation.
Thought Leadership & Talent Development:
- Build, scale, and lead a high‑performing, cross‑functional engineering organisation.
- Foster a culture of engineering excellence, innovation, and accountability.
- Represent UST in industry forums, events, and executive briefings as a thought leader in AI and innovation.
- Contribute to innovation via proposal support, client workshops, and innovation‑led pursuits.
What We Are Looking For:
- Extensive experience of leading innovation and AI initiatives across services and platforms.
- Proven experience operating at an influential level within enterprise services, platform, or product engineering environments.
- Demonstrated success in innovation, building and scaling complex platforms, SaaS solutions, or reusable engineering ecosystems.
- Strong track record of leading large, cross‑functional engineering teams, balancing strategy, delivery, and technical depth (ideally within a Centre of Excellence).
- Ability to operate seamlessly across architecture, hands‑on engineering, and executive stakeholder engagement.
Technical Expertise:
- Deep experience with AI/GenAI ecosystems, including LLM‑based applications, RAG architectures, orchestration frameworks, and ML platforms.
- Strong expertise in cloud‑native architecture (Azure, AWS, or GCP) and distributed systems design.
- Advanced knowledge of microservices, APIs, event‑driven architectures, and integration patterns.
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, release engineering, and DevOps best practices.
- Proven ability to scale platforms from proof‑of‑concept to enterprise production environments.
Client & Commercial Exposure:
- Experience engaging directly with enterprise clients, including solution shaping, technical advisory, and delivery governance.
- Ability to influence technical and commercial decision‑making at senior stakeholder levels.
Why Join UST?
This is an opportunity to define and lead a next‑generation AI capability at scale, shaping how enterprise clients adopt AI in a secure, scalable, and impactful way, while remaining close to the technology and engineering craft.
What we believe:
We’re proud to embrace the same values that have shaped UST since the beginning. Since day one, we’ve been building enduring relationships and a culture of integrity. And today, it's those same values that are inspiring us to encourage innovation from everyone, to champion diversity and inclusion, and to place people at the center of everything we do.
Humility: We will listen, learn, be empathetic and help selflessly in our interactions with everyone.
Humanity: Through business, we will better the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Integrity: We honor our commitments and act with responsibility in all our relationships.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: UST is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. UST reserves the right to periodically redefine your roles and responsibilities based on the requirements of the organization and/or your performance.
Head of Innovation in London employer: UST
As a Principal Data Engineer at our company, you will thrive in a dynamic and innovative work culture that prioritises technical excellence and continuous learning. With opportunities for mentorship and collaboration across diverse teams, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our cloud-scale data platform while enjoying the flexibility of a hybrid work environment in Nottingham or London. We are committed to fostering your professional growth and providing a supportive atmosphere where your contributions directly impact our success.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Innovation in London
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like UST.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like UST.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Innovation in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at UST that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at UST and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at UST
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at UST, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show UST that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At UST, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
